DIY Experience, Your Stories

[GRN_VAGN]

I sometimes build my own VWs from parts.

LOL think all Early VW's are made from atleast 4 other cars

[Ben J]

I too have cut wires and blown fuses with the battery still attached -.- thank god for fuses though haha.

Do love doing everything myself though. The fact that you are probably making the car worth less with every expensive modification, the countless hours you'll never get back and the physical and emotional pain are all very worthwhile.

[dubbed]

Ah the joys of being an amateur DIY mechanic! I've had countless things break, not go back together, blown fuses etc but it was all part of the fun and learning how things work. One memorable moment was putting a gearbox back together in my Falcon only to find I hadn't installed my brand new $400 clutch properly.. That quickly smoked and died a quick death. Fortunately the next time I installed it I knew the process inside out and did it about 10 times quicker.

[huss]

Fortunately the next time I installed it I knew the process inside out and did it about 10 times quicker.

Agreed with that. Replacing the brake calipers and dics and bleeding them took me an entire day in the past. Now I can do it all blind folded and without any hassles.

[GRN_VAGN]

Ah the joys of being an amateur DIY mechanic! I've had countless things break, not go back together, blown fuses etc but it was all part of the fun and learning how things work. One memorable moment was putting a gearbox back together in my Falcon only to find I hadn't installed my brand new $400 clutch properly.. That quickly smoked and died a quick death. Fortunately the next time I installed it I knew the process inside out and did it about 10 times quicker.

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt

Downside to mine is it was a on corolla, and it ate the flywheel bolts was a bad son-of-a-bitch to fix

[Blitzen]

I have a couple...

Trying to burn/blow out bushing on a leave spring with oxy acetylene and having the rubber boil and explode, spitting molten rubber at my face and putting several holes in my lips, and having the red hot center of the bush come flying at me at a vast rate of knots!!

While replacing an engine on an Armoured Personel Carrier, I though it would be an awesome idea to line up the mounting pin holes with my finger while we lowered the engine in with a crane... I pulled my finger out just quick enough to loose the skin off the tip of my index finger... I had lost a finger before and had it sewn back on again before this, so I really should have learned that 4 months of rehab learning how to use your hand again really isn't an enjoyable experience...

I have also produced sparks many times, and let the smoke out of one or two electrical components too!!

[ryana89]

Id recently learnt a (very basic) principal, again, recently when doing le old MK2 headlight wiring upgrade.
In the space of 10 minutes I managed to slap, grap and stand on a hot soldering iron.... oops

[brimway]

I am confident that I am the only person on this forum to have done the following DIY fail .....

When re-assembling a Goggomobil Dart 400cc engine, I didn't insert a circlip that secures the gudgeon pin correctly. Result was catastrophic and terminal.

If I am not alone in performing this FAIL, please own up.